


Those Gilded Cups Of Moonlight

by AtroposCorvus



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Arranged/Fake Marriage, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gods AU, Slow Burn, as in Cass' inherint denial of people liking her back
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:01:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29187480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtroposCorvus/pseuds/AtroposCorvus
Summary: A not really tragedy in three parts, featuring a yearning Cass, the bright princess Rapunzel and the godly wars it takes for them to finally smooch
Relationships: Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 34





	Those Gilded Cups Of Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> I am finally back to bring you this story. I do hope you enjoy

_There are stories of gods reigning among the stars. Beings which are the purest embodiment of the forces that shape the worlds. Though, just like mortals they may perish and just like mortals not all of them are kind to their creations._

_One of those unkind creatures is one of unending hunger. First they devoured their own creations, chaos and life swallowed up by a gaping void of a maw. They would not stop there, turning their unending hunger towards their fellow men, their siblings. The sovereign of hunger gnawed on the bones of the youngest gods first, until all the others took notice of the sudden diminishing of their kind._

_The war that rages afterwards has many of the gods bleed, has even more of them perish. In the end, the sovereign of hunger is banished and the last of the gods find themselves scattered across the realms seeking heirs for the divine bloodlines that have been lost._

_This, for better or for worse, is not what this tale will be focusing on. No, within this tale we spectators will meet a bright princess with sunlight trapped in her hair, beloved by all and a woman forgotten by most but the moon she was abandoned under as a babe._

Cassandra may be young, but she knows things. For example, even if she does look different than the others of the village, with no claws, fangs or feathers, she still belongs more to them than to those who left her here. She knows that Manon is gentle, with her owl round features and beautiful feathers. She knows that Manon is no different from a mother. She knows that Gustav can still play tag, even though he is more bear than man.

She may be different from them, or maybe they are different from her, but she does not ask about it. This is her family, she is certain of it.

Cassandra meets someone else like herself when she is twelve, maybe thirteen, all scraped knees and messy hair. The girl has bright hair and green eyes. With her stained purple dress she does not look like she belongs, not into the forest at least. Cass runs to tell mother of the intruder, puffs out her chest like a proud little warrior. Mother reminds her to not forget her manners, that strangers who have somewhat gotten lost in this part of the forest do not always seek to harm, especially not if they are children.

So mother meets the girl with open arms, even calls her little sundrop like there is familiarity between them. Cassandra does not understand why or what it means, not yet. There is just this small pit at the bottom of her stomach, a bit like fear of being left again when she knows mother would never. So the girl, Sundrop, stays for a while, at least until Dmitri has taken care of the scrapes on her knees and hands. Cass looks on, proud of her scrapes and all, thinking it to be strength to not seek help when a city dweller clearly does.

There comes the time, soon, where Sundrop has to leave, go back to her family and the city. Cassandra wants to guide her, sharpened stick grasped in her hand like one would a sword. She has always wanted to be some form of knight, warrior, just someone who can fight to protect others. She could try to use this short travel to practice for that.

Unfortunately mother does not think so. She shakes her head and has Gustav go with Sundrop instead. Cass sulks a bit, but hopes that once she gets older she will be allowed to venture a bit further from their village.

She forgets about the strange girl only a few days later, amidst all the lessons that follow after. Cassandra learns the forest and its plants, learns how to track animals. She asks about the stars once, when they try to call her home when her home is right here and mother seems worried, but still smiles. The stars stop calling the next night, the sky above the village strangely empty. That is forgotten too, becomes something normal, like knowing that her hair is brown.

There is more lessons, on history this time, which gods created what and which kingdoms waged wars or formed alliances. It is boring with its long winded explanations and reasoning. Cassandra does not understand why she needs to know when she never plans on joining the humans. Do other humans even speak about history as often as Dmitri does? He is smart, like a fox. He also does look like a fox that has learned on how to seem human. He grins when she tells him that, all questions of history and humans forgotten.

She grows older, asking mother each day for sword training until the woman gives in and has Gustav teach her. It does not completely work as Cassandra has planned. Her lessons do not stop, now there is just more of them, half of which she enjoys and the other half… well at least she is getting enough sleep.

She meets Sundrop again when she is turning fourteen. Sundrop is all princess grace and sunny smiles as she stumbles into their village. Cassandra is scraped knees and too long, unfamiliar limbs from her recent growth spurt.

She quickly learns that Sundrop is not the girls name, the princess is called Rapunzel, as said so by herself.

“I thought I had dreamed this village up. I am so happy to know I didn’t.” Her voice is higher than Cassandra’s, lighter too. She seems genuinely happy to have found her way back.

Meanwhile Cass somewhat does not know what to do. Are other humans allowed in the village? Rapunzel was allowed to stay last time, but mother has grown more careful over the years. It is not like she will throw the girl out, even though Cassandra definitely could. She has gotten stronger after all. Although, the other girl does not seem dangerous. She is too bright for that. It is a bit strange, how bright she is. Cass does not know if that makes her more trustworthy or just a tad suspicious. Nobody can be that happy all the time, can they?

Mother certainly does not question it, she seems almost relieved when Rapunzel seems to get it into her head that she wants to make Cassandra her friend. She was not that lonely, was she? Dmitri, Gustav and the others were her friends and family, that should be enough should it not?

Her inherent belief that she does not need any more friends does not seem to deter Rapunzel from trying. One visit becomes two, becomes a weekly occurrence. Though Cassandra will not call the girl her friend. The princess draws instead of joining the play fights. She smiles too much and is overall too much bottled sunshine, asking too many questions about Cass until her head swims with all the words. She does not answer most of them and it still does not make them friends.

When that does not seem to help Cass warm up to her, the princess changes tactics. She begins dragging her to places outside the village. First it is the firefly caves not too far, then the flowing river closer to the city and farther still, to the ragged cliffs that have one look even past the high walls around the entire kingdom.

Rapunzel is leaning over the edge, smiling that bright smile of hers.

“See? Isn’t this prettier when you can see it with a friend?”

Cassandra, who stands a few meters further back, shakes her head. “It is pretty without friends, too.”

The princess huffs, pouts even. “But isn’t it more fun with friends?”

Another shake of her head. “I prefer to see it by myself. It is much quieter that way.”

“Well, you are boring then.” Rapunzel points an accusing finger at her before she whirls around, dress fluttering, to regard the land stretched out before them once more.

Though, this time the princess seems to miscalculate how far she still has to get to the edge, bare foot meeting nothing but air. Her eyes widen and she begins tipping over, hair fluttering like her dress did seconds ago.

And here, it happens that Cassandra possibly does something most stupidly reckless. She darts forward with all that she has, fingers firmly wrapping around the falling girl’s wrist. There is a mighty tug and she almost manages to steady them when she loses her footing over a pebble gone rogue.

Both of them are now tumbling, through branches and down the sharp edges, until they roll to a stop at an extrusion of the cliff further down. They did not fall too deep, luckily. Cassandra is a bit sore perhaps, but there is nothing that hurts to the point of being unbearable.

She rolls over, eyes landing on the princess, who has twigs in her hair and a few scrapes and bruises, but otherwise seems fine enough. She releases a breath, relieved even though there is something warm trailing down her brow.

Rapunzel just stares at her, then bursts into tears. How is one supposed to react to that? Cass remains awkwardly stiff, even as she sits up to pat the blonde’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry…” The words come out in wheezes between teary hiccups. “You’re hurt, you’re hurt. I didn’t mean for that to happen. I just wanted for us to be friends.” She continues to babble, fat tears blazing trails down her cheeks.

Cassandra, still awkwardly trying to show support, reaches towards her to wipe away the tears. She does not know where she got hurt, but it cannot be more than a scratch if she is not crying.

“Just a scratch. It’s fine. Warriors get hurt all the time anyways.” Her words are mumbled, a bit more uncertain than she would prefer them to be.

It does not stop Rapunzel’s tears, but it does not make it worse at least. It can be counted as some form of win. The princess scoots closer, leans into her for more support, maybe. Cassandra tenses some more. The first impulse would be to shove her away just a little, though that would be quite unkind in their current situation. So she remains, calm as can be, until Rapunzel has calmed down somewhat at least.

Cass shuffles close to the ledge, looks down, then up. There does not seem to be an obvious safe route out. Even if the princess turns out to be decent at climbing, her dress will surely get in the way. So Cassandra does what comes naturally. She looks up, towards the endless sky, seeks out the first shine of the stars that she knows must be there with the waning sun and asks them to have someone find them, with as much willpower a young, spiteful little girl can muster.

She does not hear the stars answer, or maybe she just does not know their language anymore after years of not seeing them. Despite the lack of reply, Mother finds them underneath the light of the waning moon, perhaps just an hour later. Her feathers are ruffled, eyes brimming with concern. Mother gathers them both up, carries them both back home without any trouble at all. Rapunzel falls asleep before they even reach the village, Mother carefully hands her over to Gustav to have her brought back to the city.

Cassandra herself is ushered towards the healer’s hut and subsequently seated on the small bed there. Mother does not speak as she carefully cleans the wounds she has gotten from the fall, wiping a wet cloth over all the scrapes and the larger cut on her forehead that splits her brow.

“Do try to be more careful, little one. Some tumbles like that can be quite dangerous.” Mother keeps her voice calm, though there is a scolding note to it.

Cassandra nods quietly, her short hair bouncing up and down with the force of it. She does not like worrying her mother. Mother kisses the top of her head, wraps careful arms around her. Cass is slow to return it, but the woman has never minded such a thing, affection never came easy for her after all.

The days following after are mostly quiet. There is a merchant who is seeking trade with the village, but otherwise nothing of interest happens. Rapunzel does not even visit and now that Cass has the quiet she finds that she does not quite want it anymore. She asks Gustav about it and he assures her that Rapunzel seemed fine and her father might have been worried, but he had not looked like he was going to forbid the princess from visiting again.

Cassandra only mostly believes it and just to be sure, she starts sitting at the entrance to the village after her lessons, waiting. She spends a week like that, awfully distracted from the things she should be focusing on. Rapunzel does return on a sunny day, with birdsong in the air. She thinks it is fitting for a princess, or maybe just fitting for someone like Rapunzel.

The girl stops just before the entrance, fingers nervously twisting into the fabric of her dress. She is not even meeting Cassandra’s eyes, which can be considered quite worrisome.

“I wanted to apologize again. I just thought being friends might be nice. I didn’t mean to get you hurt.” The words burst out before Cassandra can even ask what is wrong.

The princess is looking like she is about to cry again. She does not want that to happen.

“Yes, it might be nice. Your company is not unpleasant.”

At that Rapunzel smiles so brightly that she finds herself returning it. The princess practically barrels into her for a hug, wraps her arms around Cassandra so tight that it is difficult to breath.

“I just know that we are going to be the best of friends.”

After that the two of them are pretty much inseparable. Cassandra makes it her duty to protect the princess, calls it training for what will surely come when they are older and Rapunzel is crowned queen. There is just no way, no logic to anyone else being Rapunzel’s champion but Cassandra. They talk about it often, what they will do and how it will be to spend a life together with your best friend.

Of course these plans are adjusted over the years. Eating sweets each morning is replaced by dreams of adventure and helping the people. There is just so many places they wish to travel to. So many things they can experience together, by each others sides as friends.

In later years that word begins to irk her, seems wrong for what Cassandra feels, but what else is there to describe it. It has to be an especially strong feeling of friendship, that is why it must be this different. She does not tell Raps about it, even though they promised not to keep secrets from each other. Cassandra thinks she is allowed this little secret that will not hurt anyone.

The problem is, that feeling of especially strong friendship just grows and grows as they turn from bright eyed children to young adults, until it feels unbearable in a strangely giddy way. It is like she constantly wishes to say something without knowing the words when she is around Raps. Again, she does not tell her friend, but she also does not tell Mother to avoid any awkward talks that might spawn. She could speak to Gustav, but he would tell mother eventually. So that does leave Dmitri or anyone else of the other four villagers, who have raised her as well, but they are not as close as the parental trinity as Cass calls it. So, talking to Dmitri it is.

Cassandra finds him in the garden, lovingly tending to his flowers. His ears flick as she approaches and he turns to her before Cassandra can even think of her question.

“What can I help you with, little one?” His voice is rougher than most, though anything that might be intimidating about him is betrayed by the softness of his eyes.

“I have feelings.” She starts, testing the waters somewhat.

“As one does, yes.” Dmitri grins at her, all sharp teeth in a soft face.

“And I do not know what they are or if they have a proper name.” She continues, a nervous energy in her veins.

“Go on. What does it feel like, those… feelings?” He is sitting down, patting the ground next to him.

Cassandra hesitates for a moment, then seats herself within the space next to him. Moments of silence follow. She is unsure of what to say, how to make sense of the things she is feeling.

“These feelings concern a friend of mine.” Dragging the words out is like pulling teeth.

Dmitri is grinning at her, she returns it with a glare of her own. It does not change anything.

“Go on, go on.” His voice has taken on an airy quality, like he is trying to hold back his own words.

“I know we are friends, but sometimes it does not feel like that. Sometimes it just feels like more, warmer.”

Dmitri hums, stroking his chin in thought. “Do you by any chance desire to kiss that friend?”

“No! No, I don’t…”, Cassandra sputters, face red and hot. She has never thought about it, certainly will not start with it now as she speaks to him.

Dmitri shrugs, though there is a glint in his eyes that has not been there before.

“I see, I see. Though that does not change the outcome. You simply love that friend.”

Cassandra stares and stares, then stares some more.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. I did not say you were in love, little one. Love has many shapes, some more confusing than others. I cannot tell you which love yours is, seeing as I am not you, but it is love nonetheless.”

He gently pats her shoulder, shakes her out of the stupor she has found herself in. Love, it is just a different love, the love that best friends maybe share. The thought helps to calm the steady pounding of her heart. This is normal. She is not making the only friendship she has weird by having feelings.

Cassandra nods to herself, smiles at him, a bit strained maybe, then rises to her feet.

“Thank you for your insight. I will leave you to your flowers now.”

She walks off rather stiffly and spends the rest of the day thinking about the newest revelation. She spends most of the night thinking about it, too. If this is love, she can let it grow, can’t she? It can take root in her rib cage, blossom in a multitude of flowers that remind her of Raps and none would stare at her to judge. It is a soft thought to fall asleep to.

The next morning she concentrates on her lessons, pulls a certain strength from the warmth that pulses within her chest now. Raps visits right when her last lesson of the day ends, face smudged with dirt and the makeshift sword still clasped in her hands. Gustav’s large hand is still holding onto the neck of her shirt where he hoisted her up just seconds ago. Her body should ache and perhaps Cassandra should feel a bit miffed to not have beaten the giant man of a bear yet again. Some day, maybe. Though she can not be too grumpy about it when just seeing her best friend threatens to split her face in a huge smile.

Cassandra quickly tries to wipe the mud stains from her face before Rapunzel can hug her, though she is a bit too slow and they end up in a weird position that has one of her arms trapped between them. The blonde squeezes her tightly, her smile hidden somewhere in Cass’ neck. It is better like this, at least this way nobody around sees the redness creep into her face. This, too, has to be normal when you love your best friend in the friendliest of ways. She will get used to it eventually.

Raps steps back, smiling that bright smile of hers and something in Cassandra’s rib cage stutters.

“I have wonderful news. I managed to save you an invitation for my birthday celebration next week.” She is still smiling as she presses the envelope into her hands.

Cassandra did not forget about that per say, one could never forget such an important day. It is just that she still does not have a present. All her options seem less than adequate and she needs it to be near perfect for it to be sufficient in her eyes.

“That is good news. I promise to be there, sundrop.” The nickname slips out somewhere between the panicked jumble of her mind. Rapunzel seems delighted at the prospect of it or she is just happy to know that Cass will be there for her birthday. Who knows, she certainly does not.

“Marvelous. Now, show me that underground lake you have been talking about during my last visit.”

Rapunzel is already dragging her away before she can say anything. The underground lake is not even that interesting, Cass has seen it a bit too often for it to still find the wonder in it. That does not mean that she does not appreciate how magical it seems to be to Raps. The blonde sinks into the pool of water, grins at her and wraps both hands around Cassandra’s wrist. Rapunzel gives a mighty tug that has her flailing for balance uselessly before she plunges into the cold water as well.

Cass resurfaces with a gasp, digging through her pockets in near blind desperation to save the invitation she had stuffed there from ruin. The paper is not completely soaked yet when she spreads it out across the cold stone. If it dries in peace she might be able to salvage it properly. Cassandra sighs in relief before she turns back to her friend, who is looking rather sheepish.

“Oops.” That singular word sputters off into a fit of giggles.

She splashes Rapunzel with water just for measure.

“You could have warned me.” Cass is pouting around the words, not quite angry.

Raps shakes her head, says, “It would only have been half as fun if I did.”

She sighs, turns onto her back to just float peacefully. She watches the blonde do the same, long blonds hair spilling out around her like liquid sunlight. Maybe the lake has not lost all of its magic. They remain, floating within the echoing silence of this place.

“If you could do anything right now, without limitations, what would you be doing?” Rapunzel breaks the silence. The question feels heavier than it perhaps should.

Cassandra stares at the ceiling of the cave, follows the lines between the rock formations.

“Maybe I would be a traveling knight or just a mercenary who helps people. Though I don’t think I could just up and leave.” It goes unsaid that she cannot leave, because in doing so far too many little parts of herself would stay scattered in this part of the woods, with her family and a friend she loves so much that it sometimes feels unbearable.

“I think I would follow you. It sounds fun, seeing what is out there. Father has been so worried about me ever since I remember. I don’t think I ever set foot past the kingdom's borders. Actually I think I never walked further than what I have walked with you.” The words tapper off into something like thoughtful sadness.

Cassandra swallows nervously, licks her lips. “I think I would have liked that, Sundrop.”

She does not look at Raps, thinks her eyes would probably spill all the secrets she wants to keep for herself. Cass hears her move, feels fingers gently curl around hers. She squeezes once, does not pull away.

“I think I would have liked that, too.” The admission is soft, whispered like a secret just between the two of them.

They remain within the lake, stay until their lips turn blue from the chill of the water, until their limbs are heavy from the soaked clothes and the cold. Even after they have climbed out from the pool they do not immediately return home. They stay within the cave, huddle close for warmth, their hands still clasped together.

It is the next day that Cassandra begins with the creation of a birthday present for Rapunzel. She has Gustav help her with carving a small wooden box divided into multiple compartments. It is of a simple design, but in the end it will be its contents that count the most. The next steps have her searching for the right plants to extract pigment from. Dmitri helps with that, whereas Mother helps with grinding the plants into the pigment itself. It is a team effort, somewhat. Dmitri mostly just hands her a list of plants and Gustav breaks off into stories halfway through explaining on how to carve a proper box.

In the end the present is finished just in time. Cassandra is running a bit late for the celebration, decked in elegant, dark fabrics one of the other villagers had kept around for such an occasion. Mother has said it suits her, the dark suit with silvery embroidery along the neck and shoulders. The present is firmly grasped in her hands, even when she has to show her invitation to the frowning guard at the doors. She will not let it go until she is giving it to her friend.

The ballroom is flooded with warm light and the chatter of guests. There is a long table at its far side, presents piled high atop it. Maybe she should have brought something different, something better, bigger. Cassandra has half the mind to pretend that she forgot to bring a present when Rapunzel finds her, arms wrapping around her in pne of her crushing hugs.

“Oh, I am so glad you came.”, Raps whispers into her ear, “I cannot wait to introduce you to the others.”

“Others?” She tenses, grasps the box more firmly. She did not think she would have to interact with anyone else today.

“My other friends of course. They cannot wait to meet you.” Rapunzel is already tugging at her arm, weaving through the crowds to lead them towards a smaller group close to the banquet.

The moment they grow near, the group of three strangers turns towards them with a mix of nervous and charming smiles.

“Cass, these are my friends Eugene, Lance and Varian.” She proclaims it proudly, grins so brightly it almost hurts to look at.

The tallest of them steps forward, clasps one of her hand in his rough one and presses a kiss to it. “Lance Strongbow, resident chef and handsome devil. It is good to finally put a face to the name.”

Cassandra nods mutely, somewhat overwhelmed with the sudden attention. Perhaps she should have found a way to convince Rapunzel to simply spend time with her on another day, but that would perhaps be too selfish of a wish. Eugene introduces himself in a similar manner, proudly proclaiming to be the long lost prince of another kingdom. Whereas Varian seems less confident, twisting his hands nervously as he introduces himself as the royal alchemist. She is certain all of them are nice, in their own special ways surely, but she cannot fall into the easy bickering as they do with each other. She does not know the stories or the inside jokes.

She feels a bit too much like an outsider to stay in a room full of people she perhaps could have known were she anyone else but herself. Cass still has Rapunzel’s present and she will not leave until she has given it to her friend, but she also needs a moment to breathe. She does not know the palace, almost gets lost in the winding halls that feel terrifyingly unfamiliar until she finally bursts into the gardens, chest heaving with deep calming breaths.

This she knows, the smell of earth, the sound of booted feet over soft grass. It feels a little bit like home, if only in the barest sense. The plants here do not grow wild, they are confined to their spaces, neat roads formed between them. If she closes her eyes just so and tries to shut out the ballroom music it does not feel all too overwhelming.

There is the brush of leaves as she leans into a hedge, pressure against her back as if the plants would catch her if she were to fall right now. It is indeed peaceful, until a gentle touch upon her shoulder startles her. Cassandra tips over, thin branches digging into her sides, her back as she tumbles through the hedge. The plants are traitors. She almost drops the box, almost has it crash and break.

She grits her teeth, pushes herself back up. Sharp words have gathered, settled on her tongue waiting to be snarled to life. They die the moment she meets twinkling, green eyes fixed on her now disheveled form.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you, but you left so suddenly that I worried.” Raps is hiding her grin behind her hand.

Cass huffs, meticulously picking twigs and leaves from her hair, anything to not look at her friend right now, really.

“So what happened? Did somebody say something mean? I can make them leave if that is the case.” Here the blonde’s voice sounds something fierce.

It makes her smile, embarrassment temporarily forgotten. “No, nothing of the sort. It’s just… louder than I expected I guess.”

Now Rapunzel looks at her, all soft and gentle. “I forgot. This must be your first time seeing this many people. Next time it will be just the two of us.”

And that sounds like it means a lot, it does most likely. Any normal person would now say thank you or just react to it in any manner. Cassandra on the other hand feels her thoughts come to a screeching halt at the words. A ball for just the two of them. It sounds like a dream or like a scene from one of these books Rapunzel likes to read so much. Would they kiss at the end if it were like one of those stories? Heat rushes to her cheeks at the thought.

Cassandra realizes her friend is still waiting for a reaction. With a loss for coherent thoughts she presses to wooden box into her hands.

“Your present.” She stutters, voice unsure and pitched high. Giving your friend, whom you have very complicated feelings for, a present should not be this difficult.

Rapunzel opens it, eyes trailing over the assortment of colored powders. The smile she grants Cass when she meets her gaze could reignite dead stars. She is still caught on that smile when Raps leans forward to press soft lips against her cheek.

It is a statement to Cassandra’s resolve that she does not perish right then and there. One really does not feel like this about a mere friend, do they?

But of course her question will remain unanswered, the night of the ball vanishes to the back of her mind as days go by without word from the other woman. Days turn into weeks and Cassandra worries enough to sneak off into the city herself just to find answers. Townsfolk does enjoy gossip to a great amount, though none of the rumors particular feel like just rumors. In all of them, the princess is sick. It makes her heart leap in her throat, has her stumble her way to the palace to see for herself. The guards glance at her, all sad and soft, but let her in nonetheless. The castle feels just as overwhelming as it did that first time.

“I heard she is dying.” It is an offhand comment from one of the servants.

It is still enough to make her stop. Fear claws its way up her throat. It cannot be. Someone as bright as the princess surely would not.

It takes entirely too long to pick her way to Raps’ chambers and when she arrives she almost bolts. The doors are open, king and queen standing by the bed with their heads bowed. Rapunzel is lying there, breathing, but so so still that it breaks Cassandra’s heart in two. She looks pale, like a corpse warmed over. With the splinters of her heart in the pit of her stomach, she realizes that this is possibly the last time she is seeing her friend.

She does not know how, but she stumbles her way back home, stumbles her way into the arms of mother.

“She is dying, mother.” She wails, words painfully dragged from her lips in between heaving sobs. She does not know if she is losing her friend or her first love, but it hurts all the same.

Manon shushes her, coos gently as she carts clawed hands through her hair.

“I know, my child, I know. I am sorry it hurts this much.”

Why does she sound like she knew? Cass withdraws, watches her mother closely and there, between sadness and loss is an inkling of guilt that should not exist. Something like betrayal burns in her throat.

“You knew…”

Manon looks caught, guiltier. She makes to shake her head, to deny, before she seems to think better of it.

“Things such as this don’t last often. Stolen blessings from the gods do not stay.”

Cassandra does not understand. “Stolen blessings?”

“My child… The young princess was sick long before the lifeblood of a god made her the bright princess. Her father did not know what he was taking and anything not given freely by the gods can just be taken back. It is a wonder he waited this long.”

Betrayal turns to anger. It makes her burn. Manon knew and she never thought to do anything.

“Can’t he just give it to her willingly now? Is the god watching over this kingdom not benevolent and kind?”

“I do not know, my child.” Her mother is not meeting her eyes. She sounds as lost as Cassandra feels.

“Then we make him. He has temples here. He must listen.” The words are desperate. She cannot let this happen.

So they visit the temples, kneel at gilded altars for hours day after day after day. The sun god does not answer at first, leaves the prayers empty. A week has passed when a stranger visits the village. He is dressed in white fabrics that drape lazily over golden skin. His hair the same glow of Rapunzel’s, his eyes burning stars. He smiles when he sees them, there are too many teeth.

“Sister, it has been so long since we last spoke. You have changed.” He is watching Manon. He is still grinning and Cassandra hates it.

“You are not here for me, Meir.”

The god, Meir, pouts. “Ah yes, the toils and troubles of mortals. One should expect that stolen things will always return to their rightful place in the end.”

Cassandra clenches her fists, swallows down the urge to go for his throat. “That mortal is my friend. You have to help her, after all she is one of yours!”

“Or I could not do that. Her family stole from me, I see no reason to reward such behavior.” He regards his nails, does not deign Cassandra with any more of his attention.

“There has to be something, anything. Please… she can’t just die like this.” She is pleading, desperately hoping for this selfish god to listen.

Meir finally turns to her, stares for minutes before his face splits into a grin. It is too wide, too feral. “There might be something. A simple favor really. You will join the courts, little godling.”

Cassandra stumbles back, gapes at him. No, she is not… she cannot be one of them. His grin only widens more. For a moment she fears his jaws will open wide and devour her whole.

“You did not know?”, he giggles, “ Have they never told you of your burden? Have they not told you the true reason as to why they would take in an abandoned mortal like you?”

He advances on her. She stumbles back until her back hits a tree, eyes pleading with mother.

“This is splendid, dear sister. You were dying, left your godhood with this… child and she does not even know. Just how long have you been lying to her?” Meir is howling with laughter now, arms wrapped around his torso.

Manon has the decency to look ashamed, to look guilty.

“As amusing as this coming fallout will be, my offer remains. The princess shall live, healthy as can be, if you return the power of the moon to the court of ancients. Your humanity for her life. Seems fair, doesn’t it?”

“She will not-”

“I accept.” Cassandra glares at her mother. Manon stares back, hurt.

She has no right to be hurt when she has lied to Cassandra for so long. She has no right to speak for her when Rapunzel is dying and she knew about it long ago and still did nothing.

“Splendid.” Meir reaches for her hand, near crushing it between his. It burns.

“We have a deal then, little godling.”

Cassandra does not say her goodbye when she leaves. She does not know that when Rapunzel visits the forest once more she will find that familiar clearing empty.


End file.
